The researchers in this study found that post-menopausal women who ate a lot of grilled, barbecued, or smoked red meat over the course of their lifetime were 47% more likely to develop breast cancer than those whose intake of such meats was more moderate. If their diet was also low in fruits and vegetables, they were 74% more likely to develop breast cancer.
The researchers couldn’t say whether the red meat and the way it was prepared were direct causes of the increased risk of breast cancer. However, they did note that some substances that form when meat is cooked at high temperatures (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines) are known to be cancer-causing, and could explain the study findings. The high fat content of red meat could be another explanation, as diets high in fat have been shown to increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer. In November of 2006 another Research News story also looked at how a diet rich in grilled and charbroiled meats increased breast cancer risk.
This story does not specifically indicate how the researchers defined a diet high in grilled, barbecued or smoked red meat, or low in fruits and vegetables. But if you eat grilled or barbecued meats more that a couple of times each month you might want to think about cutting back. If you have a choice, meat that is baked or broiled in the oven is probably the better choice. More research needs to be done on diet and breast cancer, but findings so far suggest that physical activity, a healthy diet (particularly one low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables, and fiber), and a healthy weight can help reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Visit our Nutrition section to learn more about diet and breast cancer. Visit our Lower Your Risk section to learn more about what you can do to reduce your risk of ever getting breast cancer.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Postmenopausal women who like barbecued and smoked meat would be wise to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables too, a new study suggests.
Dr. Susan E. Steck of the University of South Carolina in Columbia and her colleagues found that postmenopausal women who consumed the most grilled, barbecued or smoked red meat over their lifetime have a 47 percent increased risk of breast cancer. Big meat-eaters who also skimped on fruit and vegetables had a 74 percent increased risk of the disease.
No relationship was detected between recent patterns of meat consumption and breast cancer in postmenopausal women. In addition, the investigators found no significant association between long- or short-term meat consumption and breast cancer in premenopausal women.
The findings "support the cancer prevention guidelines that are currently recommended" calling for people to eat more plant-based foods and limit processed or red meat consumption, Steck noted in an interview with Reuters Health.
However, she cautioned, the study found a close association, but didn't actually show that cooked meats caused breast cancer. Other related factors could be at work, she explained, such as high fat content in the diet of women who consume these types of meat products.
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amines are known carcinogens produced by cooking meat at high temperatures, Steck and her team note in their report. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are found in grilled, barbecued and smoked meat (as well as many other foods), while pan-fried and grilled meat have particularly high heterocyclic amine content.
Steck and her colleagues compared the lifetime and recent consumption of cooked meat among 1,508 women with breast cancer and 1,556 healthy women. Postmenopausal women in the highest two thirds for lifetime consumption of smoked, grilled or barbecued meats -- more than once a week -- had a 47 percent greater risk of the disease compared with women who ate the least amount of meat -- once a week or less.
And postmenopausal women who ate plenty of barbecued or smoked meat but few fruits and vegetables (less than five servings per day) were at a 74 percent increased risk of breast cancer.
However, smoked, grilled or barbecued poultry or fish did not increase breast cancer risk when examined independently of red meat.
The finding that women who ate few fruits and vegetables were at greater risk supports lab and animal studies that have shown phytochemicals, which are found in fruits and vegetables, can protect against carcinogens, Steck noted.
Since the study is among the first to look at lifetime cooked meat consumption and breast cancer risk, she added, the findings need to be confirmed in other studies that examine lifetime dietary intake.
SOURCE: Epidemiology, May 2007.
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